


Seeing Him Through

by TiaKisu



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiaKisu/pseuds/TiaKisu
Summary: Jett Reno. Paul Stamets. And the Jefferies tube. Spoilers for "Far From Home" (S3E2)!
Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets
Comments: 11
Kudos: 72





	Seeing Him Through

**Author's Note:**

> The events from Jett's point of view. Mild language, because it's her. Also, I have missed them all so much!

**Seeing him through**  
  
  
He looked pale, and decidedly unwell. Jett wasn't what she would call a professional in reading Paul Stamets's body language, but the way he held himself and how his lips were pressed together left little room for speculation. Still he kept on going. The idiot was too stubborn for his own good.  
Clearly he was in a lot of pain and had absolutely no business being here.  
  
Neither had she, for that matter.  
  
Wincing as her back protested, starting its complaint down in her lower spine and sending that opinion to every other part of her body, she was reminded of how attempting to repair a ship while relying on several cracked vertebrae to keep her upright wasn't exactly a smart thing to pursue. Also it was something she'd decided on the Hiawatha she would never do again. But you couldn't always get what you wanted. Others had more need of the cellular regeneration chamber right now than she did, plus someone had to look after Mushroom Boy after all.  
  
The moment he had limped in, white as a sheet and moving even more slowly than she did, she had known that he was going to attempt something phenomenally stupid, and that he'd drive away anyone who would do so much as suggest he needed help. Presumably Culber wouldn't be thrilled though if his partner crawled through Discovery's bowls without anybody there to call for assistance in case something happened, so she had taken it upon herself to make sure he didn't accidentally get himself killed in the middle of his endeavour. Of course, the doctor would likely be livid knowing Stamets was crawling anywhere in the first place, but that was beside the point.  
  
“Looking good there,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore her own discomfort and focusing on his half-hearted frown instead.  
  
It was yet another sign of how awful he himself felt that he didn't comment on her ailment in retaliation, and briefly she felt a pang of worry. If only he'd let her get someone else to do this. She had no idea how Culber put up with his hard-headedness. Her own method consisted of irritating him, and it came naturally to her now too. Also, it served its purpose. Her voice dripped with sarcasm when she assessed his condition over the comm, keeping him occupied and drawing his attention away from the ache in his chest.  
  
While her dorsal muscles protested, she held onto that same sense of mocking when, to her surprise, Nilsson suddenly appeared right next to her. Now that Stamets was already in that tube however they had no real need for further company. She figured she could allow herself to be a bit unappreciative, and Nilssen wasn't one to hold grudges. Surely others could use her aid instead, things were going good here after all.  
  
Unfortunately though, she should not have forgotten: pride goes before a fall. And the ship rocked. Violently.  
  
Jett bit back a cry as she automatically steadied herself in her seat, the strain on her spine causing her to feel like her back was on fire. Evidently someone else wasn't as successful though, and her eyes reverted to the screen. What they saw made her forget her own predicament rather instantly.  
  
Stamets was on his side.  
  
With his body bent and his head down, he seemed having troubles getting up again. Apparently he had been flung against the walls. That could not have been good, considering his condition. And then she spotted it.  
  
Fresh blood trickled merrily from his uniform to pool beneath his abdomen. His pained groan was pitiful and although she hadn't thought it possible, even more colour was leaving what little she could see of his face.  
There was no doubt that the wound in his chest had re-opened, the only question was how deeply the tissue had been torn and how long he would remain conscious. Going by the way his hands shook, Jett wouldn't place her bets on it being too large an amount of time.  
  
She had to get him out of there, and quick. But she also had to get that relay fixed. The ship's hull creaked ominously and it required little imagination to deduce what was to happen if they didn't get Discovery operational soon.  
  
With near to no options left, she did the only thing she could think of - giving her order to Nilsson who was on her way before she even managed to fight through another bout of searing pain in her own system. Fun though it was to sit here having cramps shoot up and down her spine and watching Stamets bleed all over the place, Jett hoped that her impromptu plan would work. If there was one person who could keep the kid from fainting it was Culber. Now he only needed to get here fast enough. Briefly it occurred to her that the doctor might well be wanting to kill her on the spot for allowing his partner to be so reckless, but some risks had to be taken.  
  
Albeit Stamets would never admit to it in a million years, it was clear to see that he was frightened. And as far as she was concerned, he had every right to be. She didn't think he had been patient enough for more than one regeneration cycle – if he had even let that one complete – and next to having been impaled just hours before and now lying there helpless and newly injured, the ship was about to be swallowed by living ice of all things. It was enough to have anyone run scared. Just, neither of them could afford to lose sight of the greater picture right now.  
  
This blown relay was, in theory, the last one left to repair. If they could replace it this should get Discovery online again. For a split second she considered reminding him of that, too, but she knew better than to act on that impulse. They might not always see eye to eye, but Stamets wasn't a fool. She had to keep him responsive another way, and hope that Culber would take over from there.  
  
“Come on, kiddo, it's just a scratch. Whatever happened to your vocabulary and the not knowing any pain bit,” she attempted to rile him up. His only reply, however, was a grunt. And she had the feeling he hadn't even really heard her.  
  
_Damn._ There had to be something that could get his attention and keep him lucid. He was not going to kick the bucket on her watch. But if she wanted her brain to come up with a solution, that was thwarted by how the muscles in her back suddenly spasmed and had her gasp for breath.  
  
The cold feeling of a hypo pressed against her neck was almost lost on her amidst it all, but then she flinched as Culber injected her unceremoniously with the neuroblocker. Curious. His first concern was for her.  
  
While she brushed his admonishing her off much less graceful than she'd wanted, she reasoned that perhaps Nilsson hadn't told him what was actually going on here. Well, he was in for quite a surprise.  
  
The shot he had given her stung, but already she felt its relieving effect. At the same time, Stamets moaned again - his breathing becoming more laboured now - and that's when Culber finally noticed.  
  
The air about him changed at once, and drastically at that.  
  
Did Jett not have the drugs kick in she might even have squirmed. The doctor practically exuded an almost palpable mix of utter disbelief and naked fear the very moment he made sense of the feed on her screen. It was overwhelming and uncomfortable, and it wouldn't be helping.  
  
“Hey genius,” unable to think of anything else she deployed her best annoyed voice. Maybe that would ground him. “Argue about this later.”  
  
For a split second he looked at her, taken aback. Something in his eyes was turbulent and perhaps he did consider his options. Then, he softened.  
Reno watched as he coaxed Stamets to breathe regularly and do one thing at a time. Even laugh, although that was a pathetic one.  
  
Had he been at risk of going into shock before, Paul was now clinging to his partner's voice – allowing it to steady him and calm him down. Culber's presence had an immediate and remarkable effect on him. Though his face was still ashen and sweat started to gleam on his skin, there was a newfound determination about him. He trusted Culber to an extent she had rarely ever seen with anyone else in her life. When Hugh said he could do it, Paul believed him. And briefly she wondered if the doctor even was aware of the power he had over the man.  
  
When the pain was about to become too much, it was Culber's voice that steadied him. When he seemed unable to move at all, it was his partner's quiet support that had him fight through it and get back up.  
  
For his part, despite how worried the doctor himself all too obviously was, he kept Paul focused, encouraged him just by being there. And had there been the time for it she would have had to concede that it was endearing to witness.  
  
Because it reminded her of how things had been between her and her wife.  
  
As it was though, there were more pressing matters at hand. While Jett felt a pleasant fuzziness replace the stinging ache in her back, she gave her instructions precisely and sharp. Under normal circumstances replacing the burnt circuit was child's play, but the ship was shaking more frequently now and the wound in Stamets's chest was certainly not benefiting from that at all. Time was running out on them and although she would deny it when asked about, she was immensely grateful for the support Culber provided.  
  
She had no intention of watching the kid bleed to death in that tube, also she had no intention of being crushed to foldable pieces in this ship. Still, the relief that washed over her when Stamets succeeded to put the infuser matrix back into place was actually startling.  
  
Not caring about her back for once she tilted her head, marvelling at how the systems came back online.  
  
The lights were the first to function, then followed the ship-wide communication and with it the internal and external sensors. They had done it.  
  
The rocking stopped and maybe she imagined it, but Stamets did look less tense as well.  
  
Little to her surprise, Culber wasted no time to make an immediate request for emergency transport to sickbay and if his tone was anything to go by, the lieutenant on the other end was lucky to have already repaired that one. She supposed neither of them wanted to find out what the good commander could be like when technical difficulties got in the way of his duty. Least of all when this duty involved keeping the man he loved alive.  
  
Just before the dematerialisation process started, he turned to her, a steely look in his eyes. “We'll talk about this!”  
  
Jett merely waved her hand, unimpressed. Things had needed to be done, and at least they had a chance of escaping this freakish ice now. She could deal with the man's frustration later. Also, Mushroom Boy was his problem now, so that was a plus too.  
  
As she allowed the tender muscles in her back to relax, she watched Culber disappear– no doubt already preparing a lecture on being a reasonable and good patient in his head. If she knew him at all, his partner would be the first one to be subjected to it - after he was finished being stitched up again of course. And, really, Stamets deserved it.  
  
She on the other hand deserved an actually comfortable space to sit in, and she was determined to finally find herself one.  
  
As far as shitty days went, she'd had her fill today after all.


End file.
